CORE AND CLINICAL COMPETENCY PERFORMANCE AMONG NURSING JUNIORS.

In the field of Health Services, health care providers continuously make innovations for the enhancement of giving optimum level of care to the clients. To be able to perform as competent nurses in the future, the students must given their performance in accordance to the core competency given by the Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing in collaboration with CHED 2012 National Nursing Core Competency Standards.

This study primarily aimed to determine the core competency and clinical performance among nursing juniors students of University of Perpetual Help System Laguna UPH-Dr. Jose G. Tamayo Medical University and to answer the following problems; First the respondent's level of the clinical performance in terms of their Related Learning Grades. Second to determine the level of competence based on core competency standards of the junior nursing students Safe and Quality Nursing Practice, Management of the Resources and Environment, Health education, Legal Responsibility, Ethico-mora Responsibility, Personal and Professional Development, Quality Improvement, Research, Record Management, Communication, Collaboration and Teamwork and last is to determine whether there is a significant relationship between the core and competency and clinical performance of the respondents.

The study to measure the respondent's core competency performance was conducted in University of Perpetual Help System Laguna UPH-Dr. Jose G. Tamayo Medical University. A total of thirty (30) Junior Nursing Students were taken as the respondents of this study by means of Simple random sampling technique that they meet the following criteria: (1) they are regular junior nursing students enrolled in NCM104. (2) they have been exposed in different clinical areas and have experiences in terms of clinical rotation. The students were given questionnaire to answer completely without a time frame; it was designed to elicit the respondent's level of performance based on the sub questions in the 11 core oc competency of nursing in the form of a performance checklist then measured after by the researchers based on the Likerts scale points. Then to determine the clinical performance of the respondents, related learning experience grades of NCM104 was gathered from the dean's office with permission given by the assistant of the dean.

The following summary findings were generated after the result of the study was taken (1) RLE Average Grade of 78.17 (2) In terms of the eleven core competency the results showed, only two (2) ranked as always with a weighted average, mean average ranging from 3.51-4.0 namely: Safe and Quality Nursing Care Management of Resources and Environment while the results in the remaining nine (9) of the core competencies ranked as often with a weighted mean average ranging from 2.51-3.50 namely: Health Education, Legal Responsibility, Ethico-moral Responsibility, Personal and Professional Development, Quality Improvement, Research, Record Management, Communication, Collaboration and Teamwork. (3) Among the area of the eleven (11) core competency, the results shows that there is no significant relationship between the student's clinical performance in terms in their RLE Grades and their performance regarding the eleven (11) core competencies.

In conclusion the Junior Nursing Student's clinical performance does not depend on their level of performance regarding the eleven (11) core competencies of nursing. Second, the results of the RLE grades of the junior nursing students, was found out that their overall grades are low but within the passing rate. Then the results of the tested study about the significant relationship between the clinical performance and the core competencies, was concluded that the Junior Nursing Student's Clinical Performance does not depend on their level of performance regarding the eleven (11) core competencies of nursing.

Based on the findings and conclusions derived from this study the following recommendations are laid out. First, the junior nursing students must enhance their skills according to the 11 core competency as a guideline in grading the students in their clinical rotation. The students can provide brochures pamphlets of different health teachings that are up to date. They can also attend to more symposiums and seminars that can enhance their Personal and Professional Development.

They should also review and practice more in accordance to the core competencies in terms of Legal Responsibility, Etheco-moral Responsibility, Quality Improvement, Research, Record Management, Communication, Collaboration and Teamwork. Last, future researchers may conduct a study and evaluate the advance beginner nurses with a greater than 2 years of exposure in the clinical field and correlate it to whether they still perform nursing care according to the eleven core competency.